


Like Strangers Now

by Healy



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesiac Grunkle Stan, Angst, Family, Ficlet, Gen, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 18:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14454963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Healy/pseuds/Healy
Summary: Ford paused, waiting for a response. There was none. He soldiered on, anyway. “Y’know, it reminds me of our art class, back in high school. Do you remember Mrs. Howe—”“I wouldn’t have the foggiest notion,” Stan interrupted. “I thought you knew that, Stanford.”Stan never recovered his memories. Ford tries to deal with it.





	Like Strangers Now

"So," said Ford. "I've been taking up painting."

Stan said nothing, just sipped his beer and stared out into the forest. It hurt Ford, just a little, if he was being honest, but he pressed on. "I had a lot of trouble at first, of course. Took me a while to get used to the paint. Those videos from online Dipper showed me helped a lot."

“Mm-hmm,” said Stan, picking at his ear. It was the first thing he had said since they sat down on the porch.

Ford took it as a good sign and continued. “Haha, you should have seen the mess I made at first! But now, oh, you should see the things I paint!” He paused, waiting for a response. There was none. He soldiered on, anyway. “Y’know, it reminds me of our art class, back in high school. Do you remember Mrs. Howe—”

“I wouldn’t have the foggiest notion,” Stan interrupted. “I thought you knew that, Stanford.”

“Oh,” Ford replied, deflated. It had been months since Stan lost his memory. Ford and the rest of his family tried to help, as best they could, but—

“Would you just drop it? It’s not coming back, okay?”

“Sorry,” said Ford softly.

“I’m going back in,” said Stan. He got up, dumped his beer into the grass, and walked through the back door, slamming it shut.

Ford put his head in his hands and wept. It felt like Stanley was slipping further and further away from him each day. Last Monday, he tried to run away, nearly made it out of the city limits before the cops had found him; who could say that he wouldn’t do it again? Soos would be devastated; Dipper and Mabel would be, too. And maybe it was selfish of Ford, but he still wanted his brother in his life, even though it wasn’t what Stan wanted, even though he didn’t deserve it.

Ford stayed out on the porch until nightfall, when Soos found him. Together they went back inside. Soos then wrapped Ford in a hug, which he accepted, limply.


End file.
